Improvement in circular looms for weaving hats



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PQL;SLMTON. CIRCULAR LUOMFOR WEAVING HATS, 5o.

Patented Feb.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. L. SLAYTON. CIRCULAR- LooM PORWBAVING HATS, aw.

No. 41,466. Patented Peb. 2, 1864.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHINEAS LEESON ,SLAY'IOR OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO OORNS.

S. MITCHELL, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT lN CIRCULAR LOOMS FOR WEAVING HATS, &o.

Specification forming,r part of Letters Patent No. 41,466, dated l"f.bruar vv "2, l `('vl.

To al@ whom imag concern:

Be it known that l, lHlNEAs L. SLA'YTON,

.of the city, county, and State of New York,

have invented certain new and usetul Im proveniente in Circular Looms for Weaving Hats and other Articles; and I do hereby declare that the following lis a t'ull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ot' this specification, in which- Figure l is a central vertical section ot' ay loom constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2is a horizontal section ot the same in the plane indicated by the line :van in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the upper 'partof the machine. 1 `igs.4 to 16, inclusive, are views of the details of the machine, which will be hereinat'ter explained.`

'Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figuresA f This invention consists principally in the employment in a"circular loom ot' two separate and distinct sets of weaving` mechanisrmone set being arranged for weaving flat or nearly tlat work-such as thc top ot' the crown and .brim of 4a hatr-and the other set for weaving in a cylindrical form or form approximating thereto-as i'or the side of the crown ot' a hat and th two Sets being' so arranged relatively to each other that the 'warp in a partly-woven piece of work can be transferred from one set to the other to change the form of the work at pleasure without disturbing or moving the portion already woven.v

It also consists in makin g that setof weaving mechanism by which thegweaving of the i'lat portions ot' a. piece of work-as the top of the crown and brim of a hatis performed, movable in a directionv relatively to the other set parallel with the axis ofthe machine about which the weaving is pertbrmed,instead of radially thereto, whereby it is enabled to be brought to or the cylindrical or hollow portion otl any otherrarticle to regulate the size thereof; also, in certain improved means ot'operating what may be termed the Awarp-carriers, which carry the warp in circular' loom -to produce the opening, and crossings)` ot' the shed, and, further, in certain improvements in the apparatus or devices for depositingv and pressv inar up the welt in'thewarp.

To .enable others skilled in the art to-nmke and use my invention, I will proceed to de.- scribe its construction and operation for the manufacture ot` hats.

A is a horizontal bed-plate, supported on three teet, A A A', and supporting' three uprights, Al A2 A2, which are connected at their upper ends by a plate, A3. These parts constitute the main framing ot' the loom.

B Biare twostationary horizontal iiat ri ugs or annular plates, arrai-iged one above another in the center ot' the main framing, at a suit-- able distance apart to provide for the attach#v ment or support ot' all the mechanism 4for weaving the top crown and brim of a hat: The' internal diameter ot' these rings'requires to be considerably greater-than the length' ot' the warp strands or threads, which lengthis suicient for the said strands to extend across' the top crown, twice down the side crown, aiid `twice acrosslthcfbrim, besides providing for the shortening; which takes place 1n wcaviurg,

and allowingior their attachment to the warp1` carriers. The said rings B and B* are secured trinly toslides C C C, which are so attached to the uprights A2 A2 A2 asv to be capable ot' being elevated or depressed, the said slides and rings or annular plates combined forming an independentvertiealIy-.`- movable frame. ThisA frame is supported by means 4of screws rI) D, ot' which there is one attached toeachA ywhich is fitted to turn freely on a stationary with ahandel-ank, f2, by the turning of which all theshafts c c are caused to turn simultaneously at the same speed, and transmit rotary motion to the nuts a a, which are thus caused to raise or lower the screws D D equally,and so raise or lower the fra-ine B B* C U U, according to the direction in which the cranls turned. The object of this raising and lowering of the frame which supports or'lias at- 'tached to it the mechanism for weavingthe top ofthe crown and brim is to briugthe said mechanism as nearly as possible to the level of the work in weaving both of these portions of the hat,'it being desirable not to move the hat-from the time of its commencement till the weaving hasl been completed.

The frame which carries the mechanism for weaving the side of the crown or upright p/ortionof the hat 'is stationary. It is composed of a central circular plate, E, and surrounding ring E?, arranged in the upper part of the main frameconcentric with the rings B 3*.. lhe plate E is secured firmly, to and supported by a iixed central upright shaft, F, which is secured in the t'op plate, A3, of the main framing. The ring E is secured firmly,

to and supported by brackets G G, which are bolted to the nprights A3 A2l A2 of the main framing.

Having now described the whole of the framing and meze supporting pants of the loom, I-will proceed to describe the mechanism for weaving the top of the crown and brim of the hat, and afterward that for we aving the side of the crown.

Each of lthe rings B B"l has firmly secured in it two concentric circular series of upright pins, g gand h h, those in the lower ring, B, projecting above the upper surface of the said ring, and those in the upper ring, B, projecting downward from the lower surface of the said-ring. The several pins are of equal length, and spaces are left between the two upper and lower series for the passage of the weft and the arm '.ct the shuttle carrier, yas will be hereinafter explained. 4 The number rof pins iu'each of the four (two upper and two lower) series is equal to the greatest number -of threads or strands to be employed in thewarp. The pins in-each series are equidistan t, and each pin in either series isdirectly opposite to or in line with a pin ot' the opposite series.. Those of the two inner series, 1th, are arranged opposite'the spaces between those of the two outer series, g g.- The Itwo outer series serve to attach the warp-carriers I I and the two inner series to guide the vsame carriers, as shown in Fig.-2, where part of the upper stationary ring, B', isrepresented as broken away. l The warpcarriers consist simply of dat cases, made of tin plate or other sheet metal,.having just snlicie'nt space between their sides for the reception and work ing of ilat springs t' z', made of india-rubber or other materia-l, and having sockets at their outer or back ends to fit easily to the pins g g, the 'depth ot' the said sockets being not greater than the length of the said pins, and the depth of the'cases diminishing toward the inner or front ends in taper form, as shwn in Fig. 1. Each of the said carriers has formed upon the back of its socket a project Ving too;h'or lug', la, which4 isaeted upon to produce the operation ot' the said carriers, as hereinafter described, The springs t' t' have their back. ends attached securely to the back parts of the carriers, and are furnished with thin dat hooksj j at their front ends for 'the attachment of the strands lof the warp, which' extend from' the hook j of one carrieracross the center of theloom to the hookj o f the opposite carrier, the attachmentbeing made by loops" formed in the ends of the strands, or by loops, rings, or hooks secured thereto. The object of the springs is to hold the warp suiciently tight orwith a sufficient tension upon it for weaving and to allow the ends to yield sufciently to compensa te for the shortening which is consequent upon the corrugation produced in weaving. The opening and crossing of the shed- .that is to say, the bringing of the several strands f the warpinlo aconditionl for-'the weft to pass over some and under otliers,nnd the closing of the said strands over 'the weft-f is etl'ected bythe movements of the warp-carr rie'rs from the' upper to the lower pins, g g, and vice versa, the order of the. operation of the said carriers depending on the kind of weavin g,plain, tweel, or otherwiseto be "produced; but for plain weaving one is elevated and 'the next'depressed all the way round, 'those which are depressed in one revolution requiring to be elevated in the next, and hence an odd number of carriers bein g required.- The example of my invention represented has the devices for operating the warp-carriers'cob structed and arranged for plain weaving. These 'devices are partiy represented in Fig. -1 and partly in Figs. 5 and 6, which are outside views, taken on opposite sidesA of the rings B B, which, t'or the sake of distinction, I will call stationary rings, they being stationary during the operation of weaving. The abovementioned devices .consist of three rotating ,metal rings or bands, m n p, encircling the carriers between the rings B B* and a toothed wheel, H, arranged in the lower ring, m.

lhe three rotating rings m'n p are alll con-l nected together byplates q q outside, and the* lower one, m, has secured to it a ring, r, which is toothed all round its outer edge to gear with and'receive rotary motion from a spur-gear, s, which turns on a fixed stud, t, secured in one of the slides C C. The rings m nlp arc at such distances apart that there are 'spaces or cha-nf nels, u and v, between them Iinst wide enough for the reception of the teeth or lugs k ou the 41.466 l p a backs ot' the warp-carriers.' The upper and lower rings, m and 19 extend entirely'round the warp-carriers, but the middle one, n, has an opening, as shown at 2() 2l in Fig. 5. The several rings are so formed ,that the channels u and c are horizontal and parallelwith the faces of the stationary rings B Bt", except for a short distance on each side of the opening 2t)- 21, where they are inclined so thatthe upper and lower channels meet in the said opening, and forni, for a short distance only, a single channel, as shown in Fig. 5, the middle ring, n, terminating in two shai p points, 20 and A2l, at the meeting of the channels. lhelngs k lo of the warp carriers being received in the channels u and v, the said carriers are caused to rise 'and fall, when in each revolution of theringsm u p with the toothed ring o the inclined portions ot' the channels pass the said lugs, and the-said carriers are held upor down on the higher or lower pins, gg, the remaining greater portion of the revolution during whichthey are in theY i straight or horizontal'portions of the channels. The revolution ofthe rings m np risin the' direction of the arrow shown on the ring u in Figs. 2 and 5, 'By the passage ofthe lugs down or up `either channel u oreinto the single channel, the warp-carriers are brought to a position midway between the two rings B B* and midway between the positions they occupy when the shed is"\open; and before the point 20 arrives at any warp-carrier in the rotation ot' the rings, the carrier, if itis to be raised up above the opening between the two vseries of pins y g for theweft to pass under .it must be lit'ted high eno'ugh to pass f over the said point 20, otherwise itwill be caused by gravitation to descend the lower chauneho, b clow the opening between the two series of pins g gl for the 'weft to pass over it. 'lhe lifting ot' the carriers is effected bythe toothed wheel 11i, before reterred to. This I ltwo of the lugs k Iton the carriers might rest on two of the teeth while the lug of an inter vening carrier would be in the intervening l notch ot the wheel..- The said-wheel is caused to vturn on its axis in the direction indicated by the arrow marked ou it in Fig. 5, by the pressure of its teeth against the lugs of ,alternate carriers as the said wheel revolves with the rings, and its teeth are thus brought under the lugs of the intervening carriers and caused to lift them over the point 2() and into rthe upper groove,` u., but the lugs which enter the notches of the said wheel are carried intov -the lower groove,fu,` so that as the rings coniat the v tinue their rotation they raise every second carrier and depress the intervening ones.

vJ is what may be termed the shuttle, by which the weft or filling is deposited in the warp while the latter is att-ached to and operated b vthe carriers I I. This consists of along, curved,poi uted,an d slotted piece ofsh eet metal. (Shownzin Figs. l and 2, and represented detached in Figs. 7 and 8, of which 'Tis a top View and 8 an outside face view.) lliis shut-tleisconnect'ed at 22, near its heel, with a fork-shaped yoke, J which is attached to a tlatbar, J 2,which may be termed the shuttle-carrier.7 rlhis hair J 2 passes through the spaces between the two upper and the. two lower series of pins, and through a slot in the ring n, and its outer end is secured rigidly to a head, J3, Figs. 1, 2, and 6, which is tittcd to slide on a rigid guiderod, J 4, secured to one ot' the plates g, before mentioned, and standing' out radially to the rings m n 1). yThe said head is also made with a. hollow socket, 29, for the passage through it cfa hollow screw, J5, which is fitted to turn freely but prevented from moving longitudin allynpon a pin which is secured rigidly in the saine plate q above and parallel with J4. The socket 29 is also fitted with a threaded tongue, 30, which is secured in place by a ring, 3l, slipped over it, and thereby made to serve as a nut' to the screw J5. :ly turning the screw J5 the sbuttlecarrier Jfis moved in -or out toward and from the center of theloom, as will be presently more fully explained. rlhe shuttle-carrier is further attached to the rotating rings m n 1J, that it may rotate and cause the shuttle to revolve with them, by meansl of a brace, J 6,' which is arranged nearly at a right angle --to it, and which passes between the upper an'd lower pins, g g and h h, and through a slot in the ring n, and is secured outside otl the said ring by any convenient means. vrThe shuttle is also attached at 23 to a brace, il", which vis connected by a movable connection with the. brace J6. xly means of its various connections the shuttle is enabled to be adjusted to vbring its point as near as maybe desired to the warpcarriers and the broad part near its heel as near as maybe desired to the center Vot' the loom. The shuttle does not contain t'ie filling or weft, but that is s upplied from a spool, K, arranged to rotate on i a pin,24, carried by one ot'tlie plates q q, and from thisspool the tillingfu passes through a hole in the plate n and between the upper and lower pins, gg and l; h, to the shuttle, near the point ot' which there area number ot eyes, 25 25, (see Fig. 2,) through one or more of which the iillingispassed, according to the degree ot' friction and tension required to be produced upon it, and from these eyes the filling passes to the weavingpoint. The shuttle, besides depositing the tilting in the warp, assists in drawing the warp tightly over it after the shed has been crossed and so pressing up the filling. This is done by bringingthe broad part ofthe shuttle as near'is practicable to the center of the loom, so that in passing' between v the raised and depressed strands of warp it may pull them farther apart, as shown in dotted lines l l in the-diagram, Fig. 9, the bold linesrcvol-utionot 'the shuttle and over which the warp hasbeen crossed is forced up closer to ward the'center of the loom and against lthe body oiv the work. :In order that the Awide part ot' the 'shuttlewhich effects the above result, may be always at the s medistance from and as near as practicable tothe weaving-line, it is obvious the loom as the weaving from the center out- ,ward progresses, and to eii'ect this movementautomatically the screw J has secured to it close tothe platcq ay springen-r, 26, which gears with a pinion, 27, turnin'gon a stud attached to the sameplate q, and this pinion has secured to it aratchet wheel, 28, which is turned one or moreteeth at every revolution of the rings m nip,- the shuttles, and their attachments, hy comingin contact with and passing a number of xed pawls or pins k, secured in the upper stationary ring, Eit. From-thor to eight of 'these pawls orpins are used, according to the qualityotzthe work. The yoke J also carries apresser, L, attached to its ends, for Apressing up the work, the pressure ofthe shuttle,- as before described, not being of itself` suiiicient. This presser -consists of a piece of metal of round form in its transverse section, straight longitudinally, and tapered at the ends. 'This presses in be tweenthe crossed strands 'of the warp closer to the-inserted filling thanthe shuttle. There is also attached to the said yoke a thin roller, M, the edge of which presses'in still closer to.

the filling, and so presses againstthe crossed strands quite'close to the inserted tlllin g, and

thereby presses up the-filling.quite-close to tliebody ofthe work and-makes the work quite close. This roller rotates bythe friction of its edge against the work. lThe presser L and roller M, .being both connected by the yoke J with the shuttle-carrier J2, are moved 011tward along with the wide part ot' the shuttle as the latter is moved out by the action 'of' the screw J5.

:i `The 'mechanism for weaving the top 'of the.

crwn and brim having been now described, I will proceed to describe the mechanism for weaving the side of the crown, allof which is supported by the stationary plate E andringv E4, before described. This mechanism only differs from that iirst mentioned as much Vas is rendered necessary or advisable by the lnecessary diterencc in its arrangement..

Between and concentric lwith the plate E and ring E* there are arranged two stationary annular and radially-slotted plates, N N,v

lFigs. 4, 10, and 1l, in which the uppemwarln carriers, 1 I, work in substantially the same manner as the lower warp.carriers, I I, work upon and between the pins gg andh h. These plates are made in the form of hollow frustuxns of a very low cone. The ,plateN is secured to the plate E, and the plate N* to the ring Ei, There is a narrow annular space between the two, as' shown at 32 in Figs. 1,. 10, and 11, for the'passage of the weft and ofthe shuttlecarrier; The radial 4slots 33 325 in thesaid plates are best shown iny Figs. 10 and' 11, the'former of which is a top view and the latter a vertical section of portions of the said plates, which are for the lmost part concealedin the other figures of the t l drawings. The slots in each correspond in that it should movev outward from the center of number with the greatest number of strands to be used in weaving the side of the crown o f thehat. They areequidistant, and those of eachplate are directlyl opposite to or in line g a tube, 35, to 'receive' the shank of the hook j, and a spriugfwhich attaches-the said hook to' the carrier. lhesehooks and springsare substantially like those jandv'i of the lower warp carriers, andthe said hooks are'so situated thatat'fer the crown'f a hat has been woven the ends of'the 'warps may be transferred by hand to them from the lower hooks by a movement .such [as indicated' by red dotted linesy 36 in Fig. 1.v

The' 'movements .of the warp-carriers 1 1 from the .plate N into the -plate N?, and vice versa, to'v producethe opening and crossing of the .sheds,are produced by three revolving rin gs, m no p", and two 'toothedlwheels, H and Hoi". These, allowing for theirbeing conical, to conform to the plates N Ni, instead of cylindrical, are substantially vlike the rings m n p ot' thelower set of Weaving mechanism, and the two wheels. are precisely like the wheel H, the two being necessary, as gravitationv does not aid their aotion,a-i is the case with H. Fig. 4 is a top view of these rings and wheel'sand4 their attachments. The three i-ing's'm n p0 are arranged above N N', and

arel connected ltogether by plates Q0 q", sub stan tiully like q'q, and also connected by forks 36 36 and pins 37037, with a ring, r, which is litted to turnon the' top of the ring. E". This ring Wis toothed all round to gear with and receivel rotary motion from a 'spur-gear, a", which is Afast on a vertical shaft, t, which is arranged in a bearing, A, secured to one of the standards AK The channels u 'v0 between the rings mun p0, (shown in Figs. 4

and 5,) are substantially like the channels u, I

produced. rlhe two wheels B0 H0* are ari riers, each rotating in the direction of thev point and into the inner or upper channel, u",

. plan View, Fig. 12, a portion, y", of which, terinitiating in a point, as 'shown at 39, 1s at- I term the shuttle-carmen7` which passes '(see Fig. 3,) arranged above and attached to oneof the plates q", and it passes down 'u' between the rings m np, and the said chan-- nels receive lugs lo@ k?, provided on the backs. of the carriers I I0, so that by the rotation of the' said rings m rn.0 p in the same direction as m a p the said lugs maybe acted upon to produce the movements ofthe said carriers in the slots 33 -and33 toward and from the' center of the loom, by which the opening andA crossing' of the sheds of the warp is ranged one in an opening'in the plate m" and `the other in an opening in the plate p, the pins w w, upon which the said wheels rotate and which secure'theni to said plates, being so arranged at equal distances from the point 200 oi' the ring 'n0-that the tips or ends of their teeth will enter very slightly into the spaces between the teeth of the other one. One of the said wheels is caused to rotate upon its. axis by the entrance into its notchesof the lug k o'f every second ,carrier 1,and the otherA one is caused to rotate on-its axis'y by the en trance into its notches of tlie intervening cararrow marked on it in Fig. 4, and the tops of Y the teeth of cach coming in contact with the lugs lc k", which are received in the notches of the other, and so carrying the said lugs over the point'QO of the vplate a", the wheel H0* transferring over the inner side lof the said the lugs whichhave previously been in the channel u, and the wheel' H transferring over the outer side of vthe said point and into the' channel u the lugs which have previously been in the channel a0, and thus causing the rotation of the plates m9 a p0 to produce a proper shedding of the warp.

Jo y0, Figs.l2, 13,14, 15,. is the shuttle by which the weft or filling is deposited-in the warp while the latter is attached to and op erated bythe carriers l0 l.4 This is inl theform of a nearly complete ring, as shown in the tached to the other portion, J0, by a screw, 10, to permit of its'detachmentwhile the brim of the hat is being woven. Y The-portion J is secured permanently a flat bar, Ji, which through the annular space 32, between the plates N N i, andv through a slot in the plate a0, and one of theplates q?,'and is furnished above the plate with ahead," J0, precisely like the `head J3 of the lower shuttle-.carrier, J2. The said bar J "2 is made in two pieces, united rigidly by screws 44 44, shown in the face and side views,- Figs. 14 and 15, passing through a slot, 41, 1n the upper part, which allows the lower part to be raised up with the part J" ,of the shutlle to bring the latter out ofthe wayin weaving the sides of the crown and the brim. The filling or weft is supplied from a spool, K,

through a hole inthe plate n", and through the annular space 32,bei'ore ment1oned,toihe hshuttle, and isreceivedin a roove, 45, in the thereof, coming outer periphery of the part y tir/hence it is deout at the pont'or tail 39,- posited in the warp. This spiral direction from the front ot' the shuttle and passes through the annularspace 32. and

through a slotin the plate a", the said slot beated by a. screw, 105, attached tothe plate q, and operating in the same manner-and by` similar means to. the screw J5 of the lower shuttle-carrier, the ratchet-wheel 26, through which the `saidnscrew 105 is operated, .being actuated by stationary pawls 31",securedto the stationary ring, the teeth' of the said ratehet-wheel being brought into contact with the saidv pawls as the said wheel revolves with the rings m9- n" p0. The portion y" of the shuttle, besides depositing' the filling in the warp, serves the purpose of nga'therin g the wai-pin and regulating the circumfereuce'ot' the side of the crown lof the hat, the exterior of which will be just the size ofthe inner circle of theshuttle. Wereit not for theshuttle being so extended bythe piece y", the inclination of the warps vwould cause the side ot' the crown to be woveir in a; conical form, and the weavin g to be looser as'thefcircumference is increased. The reasonvfor the inclination of the warp, (which is visible in Fig. 1,) is that in order to get intov the upper set ofv weaving mechanism a sulcient number of warp-carriers lo the said carriers have to be'arranged in a circle of muchgreater diameter than the circle in which the weaving is performed. rlhe point or tail 39 is depressed, in order that it may deposit 'the filling as closeas possible to the previous crossing of Athe warp.- The vcrossing of thewarp takes place over the said portion y0 of the shuttle, which, being thinand tapered tothe point or tail 39, slips out easily from the crossed shed and leaves the filling secured 'by the closing of the shed. The pressing up of the filling .is eiiected .by a cresceutshapedpiece, Q, which is attached rigidly'by a forked yoke, Q,vto the shuttlec'arrier J0?, the said piece operating on the 'warp's substantially like the broad part of the lower shuttle, J, to drawit tightly over the illing'L The shuttle J", has also rollernM" ML (see Fig. 14 and 15)` attached to it to act'ln the same manner as the rollers M, applied in the lower weaving mechanism. Thisshuttlc'and the devices for pressing in its filling all rc- -quire to be changed for weaving hats of different sizes, as their curvature must conform to the size of the hat.

It and S, Figs. iland 2, are two circular shuttle is also steadied by a brace, P, which vrun's up in asirahle.

e 'Y l n crece clamping plates for clamping the top of the crown of the hat, and thus holdingit in place, both while the warps 'are being transferred from one set of ,warpoarriers to the other and during the weaving of the side of the crown of the hat, The upper one, 1, of these plates is of the circumference intended for the top of the crown of ,the hat, and isattached to a sleeve, lt', which is fitted to slide freely up and-down on the lower part of the stationary center sha-ft, F, and connected by a rod, R2, with a lever, R3, arranged to work on a fixed fulcruin, 43, above the top plate, A, and this lever is furnished with one or more movable weights, 46, to load it as much as may be de- The lower plate, S, may be smaller than 1t. lt is made with a centrally-bored socket, which is fitted to turn freely on the top of .a shaft, S, which is ttedto sliderreely up and ldown in line with F through the fixed;

hollow upright shaft c, before mentioned,

by means of two ormore upright rods, 47. 4,7,

to a ring, U', whcih is made :dat to rest upon the bed-plate A. The purpose of the ring U is to support theside ofthe crown of the hat nud prevent it from -.being.stretched or pulled out of shape in weaving the brim, and thus Apreserve the circular form of the brim, the

said ring being supported at such a height that its upper edge is just even with the termination ofthe side ofthe crown where it joins the brn.

,"V, Fig. 1, isthe shaft for driving the lower set of weaving mechanism, arranged horizontally in suitable bearings attached to one of the standards A, and furnished with abevelgear V', which gears into a bevel gear', s', attached to the spurfgear s herei'nbefore referred to. This shaft may be driven by any convenient motive power, and its bevel-gear V', giving motion to the gearss and 8, causes the latter to give rotary motion to the toothed ring #,'which carries with it all the rotating parts of the lower set'ot 1nechanisni. Y

W, Fig. 1, is the shaft for driving' the upper set of weavi'n g mechanism', arranged horizontally-in suitable bearings attached to o'r formed in one of the uprights A2 and vthe bracket A4. This,v shaft is furnished with a bevel-gear W', which gears with a bevel-gear,

0.1, on the l ;Erightshaft-t", liereinbefore mentioned. T

shaft W may be driven by the same power 'as the shaft V by simply changing the belt or gearing and its bevel-gear W giving rotary motion to the bevel gear s0', and

hat..

shaft t0 causes the `gear c to give rotary mo tion to the toothed ring Wr'which carries` with itall of the rotating parte of the'upper set of weaving mechanism.y The object in using nu odd number of warps when every alternate thread is to be raised, after the `manner of plain weaving, is so-tlxat in each revolution when the upper half of the warp changes toA the lower, and vice versa, the thread ot filling While carried ina Continous rotation in one direction may pass each particular vvra-rothread on the side opposite to that on which it passed Y before.

The operation of weaving a hat in this loom is as follows: The movable frame B B* C C 0, containing the lower set ofweaving mechanism, having been brought to its lowest position by means of the screws lD 1),-and the plate 1t having. been raised and tlreplate' S lowered to leave an open space .in-'the center of thc said frame', 'a--suitable odd number of warp strands or threads, generally about from onc tenth to one-sixth of the whole number rc-v quired to form the hat, are stretched. dialnet` rically across the frame, and' their ends secured at equal distances apart to the hooks ot' the warpcarriers. The llingy'arn or thread is then brought from the spool K, as hereinbefore describd, to and through the eyes 25 25 of the shuttle J, and its end brought to the centerf'of the loom, Power is then applied to.

the shaft V,`and the lowerset of .weaving mechanism, being thereby set in motion, coinmencs Athe weaving of thehatiat the center y J of the top of the crown, and at each revolution o f the said mechanism one pick or course of weft or filling is inserted into theopen warp, the warp crossed overI it, and the weft or lling pressed up, and as this operation proceeds the screw J5 gradually draws the' v4shuttle cile the pressing-up devices farther .-ffroln.. the

nter of the loom, as required by theincreasing diameter of; the web. As the web increases in diameter new strands or threads of warp are introduced. from time to time by securing their ends to the warpcar. riers situated at equal distances between those "occupied by the previouslynserted strands,

and in this way the required degree of closeness of text-ure is obtained in the crown-of the When a circular web a little larger than the crown of the hat has been'thus woven, the shaft V is stopped, the plate S is raised up in contact with the part so woven by means of the pinion T, and suitably secured and. the plate R is lowered upon it and held 'down by the application of the weight or weights 4.6

to the lever It. The web, being now clamped between the plates R S, is held securely against displacement Whilethewarp strands or threads are .detached from the hooks j j of the. lower set of weft-carriers, I I, and transferred to the hooks j j of the upper set, I0 1, by a movement by hnd,as indicated by the-dotted'lines 36 36 in Fig; 1, and in so doing the margin of the web already woven is turnedup over the -edges off the plate R. Theshuttle J y is,

and its repective 'pressingup devices are,

crown of the hat, which is of cylindrical or j an approximate form, the shuttle and press-' ing-up devices being drawn upward by the screw 'J"" as the weaving proceeds. When the side of thc crown has been woven to the required depth, which -is rather greater than the intended height ot' the crown, the shaft W is stopped,'the upper shuttle and its respective pressin g-u p devices taken out, and the ring U put in, as shown in red outline in Fig. 1, This ring .may be att-ached tothe shaft S,.so as to bel adjustable, and the plate S may be Idispensed vwith altogether. The frame B B* G C G is next raised up by the screws D D to bring. the space between the upper and lowerseries of pins, g g1-1th,ou a level with the edge of the web as produced bythe last course of weft, and the warp strands or threads are disconnected from the hooks j j and connected again with the hooks "i j, but owing to so much of the strands having been taken up inweaving the side of the crown, the strands themselves are not long.

enough to reach and connect .directly with the said hooks, and the spri ugs to which the hooks are. attached could not without injury be stretched suiiiciently for such direct connection. I theretcre connect wit-h each' end'of each strand a strap, loop, hook, or other suitable device, 48, (shown inred color in Fig. 1,)y of -alength equal tothe height of the crown, and attach these devices to the hooks j j. The edge of the web is then drawn over the thin upper edge of the ring U, and on the shaft V being .again set in motion .the lower set of weaving mechanismis again set in operation, and the weaving of the brim commences. This part of the process is substantially like lthat of weaving the top of the crown, and adf ditional strands are inserted from. time to time asthe diameter of the web increases, the

shuttle J and its respective pressing-np del vices all moving outward in proportion tosnch increase ot" diameter. .The hat is kept in place during this part-ot the process by means of the plate It and ring U. IWhen the brim is of sutiicient-'size, the shat't is stopped, the plate Rraised out ot. the hat, the warpstrands.disi connected from their carriers, and the weft cnt or broken, and thc hat is then removed from the loolm I prefer to weave the brim ritherlarger than isrequired and to finish n motion -by power applied to the and stitching it down.l

Having now fully described the nature, construction, and operation et' my invention, I will proceed to state what l claim as new and de- .sireto secure by Letters Patent-- l.' The elnplcyment,in a circular loom of two separate. and distinct sets of weaving mechanism-ono suitable for weaving' in a -fiat or nearly itat form, as required for the top ofthe crown and brim ot a hat, .and the other suitahle'tbr weaving in a cylindrical or hollow torm,as required furthe side ofthe crown of a hat-and the two -so constructed andarranged that the warp may betransfcrred from one set to the other to change the term of the weaving, substantially as herein specified.

2. In a circular' loom havingtwo `separate and distinct sets of weaving mechanism, such as above specified, making one set movable or adjustable relatively to the other in a., direction parallel ,with theaxisofthe loom, substantially as and vfcrthepurpose herein specifled. A t

3. The combination of the plate R and forining-shuttle diy, applied and4 operating in a circular loom, substantially as and for the purposehe'reiu 'specified'.

4. .The ring U, employed in combination ,with a plate, 1t,or its equivalenti, to hold and secure the vertical part' of -the crown after the latter has been formedV by the shuttle fg", substantially as and t'or the purpose herein s et forth. 4

l5. The combination, in a c ircular1oom,ot` a series of revolving rings, m n p or-m n11", or their equivalentsmnd an attached toothed or notched wheel ,`H, er pair ot' toothed or notched 'wheels H". H04, to separate a series of warp carriers, the whole operating substantially a.: and 'for the purpose herein specified.

6. The shuttle J0 9, constructed substantia-ily as herein described, in the form, of a nearly complete ring, whereby it is` uade to 'ser-ve thetwo purposes ot' depositing the tillin g in the warp in wcavingthe side of the crown ot' the hat and of gathering in the warp and regulating the size ofthe side ofthe crown of the hat, substantially as herein set forth'.

.7.1 The employment, in a 4circular loom, ot' wheels or rollers so applied'as to vpress upthe filling in the warp by means of rolling-friction, when used in combination with a presser-bar, L, substantially as herein specified'.

PHIN EAS L. SLAYTON.

Witnesses:

Taos. S. J. DOUGLAS, GEO. W. vREs1; 

